1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cushioning insert into the heel area of a shoe, especially an athletic shoe, such as a soccer shoe, which has a honeycomb body, and to a shoe with such a cushioning insert.
2. Description of Related Art
A cushioning insert of this type and a shoe with one such cushioning insert are known from the German utility model 89 01 236. There, a gastight honeycomb body of elastic compressible material is inserted into a depression in the heel area of a shoe, into a cavity of an outsole which is made spring-elastic or in a soft elastic through-sole of the sole of the shoe.
The honeycomb cells which are closed in the border area of the finished molded body clearly increase the restoration force in this area of the honeycomb body so that the inner area of the cushioning honeycomb body or the honeycomb body which produces the restoration forces is even softer than this border area.
Published German Patent Application DE 36 29 264 A1 discloses reducing the deep immersion of the heel into the heel cap by the tread surface which is surrounded by the heel cap having a pressure distribution membrane.
Furthermore, German Patent DE 39 24 360 C2 discloses providing in the heel area of an outsole a depression into which a coupling element can be inserted into which, in turn, a grip element which projects down can be interchangeably screwed from the outside. Above the coupling element there is an elastic cushioning element in the form of a honeycomb body. This elastic cushioning element is fixed in its position to the top by a relatively stiff cover plate. The grip element when treading along with the coupling element can dip into the depression through the inserted cushioning insert. In this way, when treading, cushioning is achieved without the heel being moved relative to the heel cap. But the thickness of the sole is relatively large since the cushioning insert and the coupling element are located on top of one another.
The object of this invention is to improve a cushioning insert of the initially mentioned type such that it ensures good cushioning properties even with relatively thin outsoles or shoe soles of hard elastic material, as can be encountered for example in soccer shoes, and good support of the heel is ensured.
This object is achieved by the cushioning insert being made of a structural unit composed of a heel shell and a gas-tight honeycomb body which is provided on the top or on the underside of the bottom of the heel shell or of a honeycomb cell body which is connected in a gas-tight manner to the heel shell, and by the bottom of the cushioning insert being matched to the contour of the top of the shoe sole and attached on it.
This invention ensures that no relative motion or only an insignificant amount of relative motion occurs between the heel and heel cap since the upper cover plate or the bottom of the heel shell can spring down. The upper cover plate therefore executes essentially the same motion as the heel cap, by which the heel is securely held in the shoe.